Weasel-like mammal called 'fisher' returns to northern Michigan

Jun. 24, 2013

Written by

John Flesher

Associated Press

TRAVERSE CITY, MICH — . Once wiped out in Michigan, the weasel-like mammal known as the fisher has returned to the tip of Michigan’s Lower Peninsula after making a solid recovery in the Upper Peninsula, state wildlife officials said Monday.

With short legs, small ears, thick, dark fur and bushy tails, the fisher once roamed the entire state but had disappeared by 1936 as loggers mowed down its forest habitat and trappers over-harvested those that remained for their pelts. State biologists began restoration efforts in the U.P. in the 1960s, and within a few decades the animal had bounced back sufficiently to allow a regulated trapping season.

Despite occasional reported sightings in the northern Lower Peninsula, the Department of Natural Resources was able to confirm the presence of a fisher there only recently. Melissa and Nate Sayers of Onaway were walking in rural Presque Isle County when they saw what first appeared to be a bear cub in a tree, the DNR said. When it moved, they realized it was something else.

When shown photos of the animal, DNR wildlife biologist Jennifer Kleitch went to the location and confirmed they were authentic.

“It’s a neat discovery — a good signal that things are going well for the species,” Kleitch said. “It’s probably an indicator that their habitat is recovering.”

How fishers could have reached the area is unknown. But there have been reports of animals crossing between the two peninsulas at the Straits of Mackinac, the 5-mile-wide area where Lakes Michigan and Huron converge, when the surface freezes in winter, she said.

Although sometimes referred to as “fisher cats,” they are members of the weasel family, which also includes minks and martens. Males typically are three to four feet long and weigh seven to 13 pounds. Females are slightly smaller. They feed primarily on small and medium-sized mammals such as mice and rabbits as well as dead deer, fruits and nuts.

They’re also among the few animals with the courage to attack porcupines. The nimble fisher will cling to a tree above the porcupine and repeatedly bite its one vulnerable spot — its face, said Dwayne Etter, a DNR wildlife research specialist.

Porcupines damage softwood trees by stripping off bark, so it’s good to have a predator that helps keep them in check, Etter said. Fishers rarely attack people unless they have rabies or some other disease. But they’re fierce when taking on fellow mammals.

“All the members of that family have attitudes. They think they’re much bigger than they actually are,” Etter said. “Even tiny weasels are extremely aggressive.”